A Day with an I Love Juice Bar Owner

Read what it’s like to operate juice bar franchises with I Love Juice Bar

What is the average day like for an I Love Juice Bar franchise owner? From accepting produce orders and preparing juices and smoothies to getting to know customers and their tastes, it’s busy — and fulfilling.

When John and Vui Hunt began I Love Juice Bar in a former sandwich shop tucked away in Brentwood, Tennessee, they both had enough business experience to that know long days lay ahead. Vui had owned and operated Veggieland restaurant in Atlanta, while John had previously headed up several ventures. Now that they are helping others set up their own juice bar franchises, they have plenty of sound advice.

“People want to be entrepreneurs, but they sometimes think that means opening up, hiring a few employees and then enjoying owning their business and having more free time,” says John. “Well, good luck with that. We worked super long and hard not just setting up I Love Juice Bar, but on everything from carefully choosing the colors to the logo to how the menu offerings would be broad but not confusing, and focused but offer lots of range, And we still spend a lot of time there, because we want to meet our customers, and we want to hear what they would like us to add, change — or never change!”

Trial run preps new juice franchise owner

When Jenny Adams decided she wanted to open an I Love Juice Bar franchise in Columbus, Georgia, she came to the Brentwood restaurant to spend some time with the Hunts and to get some hands-on experience. She left not only confident that she’d made the right choice, but with a new appreciation of the concept the Hunts had built.

“They asked me to come out and experience the concept,” Jenny says. “They wanted me to come in and work a day to make sure this was up my alley before all the lawyers got involved and the agreements were signed. That just inflamed my desire.”

She got to the restaurant at 5:30 a.m., two hours before opening, just as the delivery trucks arrived.

“I have never seen that much produce in my life,” Jenny says. “And then they told me that was the first of two deliveries each day! By 7:30 a.m. they had made spring rolls, kale and quinoa salad and fresh juices, and people were knocking at the door.”

Over the course of her on-the-job training, Jenny watched repeat customers interact with the Hunts and their staff, as well as new visitors get enthusiastic about juicing.

“I watched people’s reactions, listened to the team members and told Vui later that today that what they had was magic,” Jenny says. “The way that people work as a team, it’s almost like a choreographed dance. I also watched Vui make a custom juice for a woman to take home to her mother, who was recovering from an illness. She explained why it would be good for her.”

Seeing those interactions only cemented Jenny’s desire to be a part of the I Love Juice Bar family.

“When I left at 3 p.m., I realized I hadn’t sat down all day,” she recalls. “But it didn’t seem like I’d been on my feet all day. It was just fantastic.”